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KU women get 'needed' win against TCU

Knight scores 16 points as Jayhawks overcome sluggish start

LAWRENCE — Bonnie Henrickson called a timeout and walked a few steps onto the court while yelling at CeCe Harper.

The first 18 minutes of the first half had been a disaster for Kansas. The Jayhawks couldn’t find a way to score and were turning the ball over with regularity. They trailed by 10 when Henrickson called the timeout.

Out of the huddle came an inspired team. The Jayhawks closed the half on an 8-2 run sparked by back-to-back Natalie Knight 3-pointers.

In total, KU went on an 18-2 run over a seven-minute period that spanned the first and second half. The stretch gave KU a lead it would hold onto Wednesday in a 62-53 victory against TCU at Allen Fieldhouse.

“This was a game we needed to win,” Knight said. “No matter what, no matter how much we got down, we needed to fight.”

The 3-pointers from Knight are commonplace for the Jayhawks (12-13, 5-8). She has shot more than 50 percent from the field in her last four games and is second all-time for KU with a 38.2 career 3-point field goal percentage.

Knight’s most important basket, however, wasn’t a trey. With KU clinging to a two-point lead, Knight drove the lane and made a jump shot with time running out on the shot clock. The Jayhawks took a four-point lead with a little more than one minute left.

“I knew we needed a basket right then,” Knight said. “I just wanted to give us the best opportunity to make a play or get an offensive rebound.”

Knight finished with a team-high 16-points on 10 shot attempts. Chelsea Gardner and Asia Boyd also finished in double figures with 13 points.

“I’ve respected the fact that we’ve come back from such tough losses and not been demoralized and devastated,” Henrickson said.

The Jayhawks, who came off an underwhelming home loss to Oklahoma, played tough and outlasted a Horned Frogs team (14-10, 5-7) that entered the game as the No. 6 team in the Big 12 standings. KU is eighth in the league, meaning every game will affect its chances at making the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s not a maybe thing,” Harper said. “We need to do this. We have more urgency. I think we understand and I think we’re going to make it happen.”